Andrew Wiggins has already been vindicated. It's not enough to suggest the Golden State Warriors wouldn't have won the title without him. The former No. 1 overall pick lived up to that billing on the game's biggest stage, functioning as arguably his team's second-best player against the big, versatile Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Wiggins isn't satisfied after cementing himself as one of the best non-stars in basketball, though. Still itching to prove doubters wrong after locking up Jayson Tatum as the Larry O'Brien Trophy hung in the balance, Wiggins wants more official recognition this season for his monumental defensive strides.
“One thing I'm really gonna strive for this upcoming season is being on defensive team,” he told hosts Vince Carter and Ros Gold-Onwude on The VC Show. “That's a big goal of mine, and hopefully I opened some eyes in the playoffs and I can be on the radar. I ain't get not one vote this year! I took it personal in the playoffs!”
— James Burnes (@JamesBurnes8) August 17, 2022
Carter and Gold-Onwude are right to be incredulous at Wiggins' “hopefully I opened some eyes” modesty.
No player in basketball changed his defensive perception for the better more than Wiggins. He'll enter 2022-23 on pretty much everyone's short list for All-Defense, competing with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaren Jackson Jr., Bam Adebayo and even Draymond Green among players eligible to receive votes at forward.
Is Wiggins on the all-world level of those ultra-versatile, highly disruptive defenders? It's tough to argue otherwise after the vice grip he put on Tatum in the Finals, not to mention his career-best rebounding efforts throughout the postseason. He was a much more active, reliable help defender during the Warriors' title run, too.
Either way, the days of Wiggins not receiving any votes for All-Defense are almost certainly over, and rightfully so.
[The VC Show, h/t @jamesburnes8]
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